Interview with Lucy Felthouse's character, Damien!

2.Is
your love interest the way you pictured him or her? Or would you have preferred
someone with a different hair color.

Well, considering that Annalise came along when I least
expected it, I didn't have anything to picture. She took me utterly by surprise
and now I can't imagine life without her.

3.Do you
have any annoying habits your author did not share with us in your book?

Oh yes, lots. I don't think Off the Shelf had too much background on me as it basically just
tells the story of how Annalise and I met and finally got it together. Though I
don't think it would have been very romantic to divulge how I leave the toilet
seat up, would it? ;)

4.Do you
have siblings? Are you close to them?

I do. I have a sister and a brother. They're both older than
me, and yes, we’re fairly close. Of course we all live our own lives and don't
see each other as often as we should, but we're always there for one another
when we need it.

5.Any
hobbies we might be interested in knowing about?

Some of my interests were divulged in Off the Shelf, for example my love of books and travel. However, I
also adore the outdoors and photography, though I was actually a professional
photographer, so it's a little more than a hobby!

6.Are
you happy with the profession your author chose for you or would you rather be
working at something totally different and why?

What, working in a book shop?! Are you kidding? I love
books. I have to confess though, the job itself can be pretty dull at times,
but I'm just lucky that when we're quiet I can go grab a book off the shelf and
lose myself in it for a little while. Honestly, though, I’d love to go back to
professional photography at some point, but it's tough in the current economic
climate.

7.Would
you like to be taller, blonder, thinner or smarter than you have been
portrayed?

I'd like to be taller and more muscular, I guess. But it
would seem that Annalise likes me just as I am, so I'm certainly not
complaining. I'm a lucky man!

8.Are
you planning to make an appearance in a sequel? If not are you unhappy about
that?

When it comes to Lucy, never say never. She often writes
stories and thinks that's the end of it, but then the characters decide they'd
like more of their story to be told and nag her until she writes them. There's
definitely potential for more of mine and Annalise's story to be told, so watch
this space.

9.Now
for a personal question. Is there enough sex in the book for you? Would you
have liked more?

I would, but I can see why there wasn't tons of sex. The
story is about how Annalise and I met, started dating and finally got together.
Given we met in a very public place – an airport – we weren't in a position to jump on one
another straight away. Plus I'm just not that kind of guy. I wasn't sure for
ages if Annalise even liked me as more than a friend. So it took us a little
while to get to that stage, but she was definitely worth the wait!

10.Did you author handle your “love” scenes the
way you like or was she too explicit or not explicit enough?

I think she was about as explicit as it gets, to be honest!
I'm just glad she was so flattering in her descriptions of me – phew!

11.Is your hero/heroine a good kisser?

Annalise is an amazing kisser. When we kissed for the first
time it was incredible because we'd been pussy-footing around one another for
so long. But I'm happy to report that it's been just as awesome every time
we've kissed since!

12.Are you happy with the setting? Did you want
a bigger house or car?

Who doesn't want a bigger house or better car? But it's how
we live, so Lucy wrote it realistically. Who knows, maybe when I get back into photography
I can start earning a decent living and can trade up!

13.How many re-writes did you have to live
through?

I didn’t. There were sections of the story that Lucy
re-wrote, but they weren't the parts with me in them. She obviously liked me
just as I was. *blushes*

14.Did your author listen to you when you tried
to redirect her/him?

Oh, I wouldn't do that. I'm a shy guy, and without Lucy I
wouldn't even exist, so I'm not about to tell her what to do, am I?

15.Did your story end too soon?

Yes and no. It had the perfect ending for what it was – a
novella length piece of work. But as I said before, there's lots more to say
about myself and Annalise, so I'm hoping we'll be allowed another outing at
some point!

16.Did you get enough time in the story or do
you feel shortchanged?

Since the story is told from Annalise's perspective, I
wasn't in it all the way through, except perhaps in her thoughts. But I don't
feel shortchanged – it was Annalise's story, and I'm just the guy who was lucky
enough to be in it with her!

17.Who was your favorite supporting character?

I don't think there is one, really. Annalise and I are the
main characters in our story, except for the guy that was flirting with her in
Portugal. I couldn't believe it when I found out she turned him down because
she liked me!

18.Do you want your story to become a series
with you as a recurring character?

Who wouldn’t? Maybe if Annalise and I went on a series of
adventures, Lucy could write about them. But other than that, I'm just an
ordinary guy with an ordinary life, so I'm not sure I'd warrant an entire
series of books.

19.Were you happy with your wardrobe?

Absolutely. I'm no fashion victim, though admittedly I do
dress better now Annalise has been telling me what she thinks I look nice in,
and what I don't.

20.Did you fight much with your author or did
you two see eye-to-eye?

As I said earlier, I'm a pretty shy guy, and I'm laid back,
so I let Lucy get on with it and do her thing. I'm very happy with how things
turned out, though. I got the girl, didn't I?!

*****

At 35, travel
writer Annalise is fed up with insensitive comments about being left on the
shelf. It’s not as if she doesn’t want a man, but her busy career doesn’t leave
her much time for relationships. Sexy liaisons with passing acquaintances give
Annalise physical satisfaction, but she needs more than that. She wants a man
who will satisfy her mind as well as her body. But where will she find someone
like that? It seems Annalise may be in luck when a new member of staff starts
working in the bookshop at the airport she regularly travels through. Damien
appears to tick all the boxes; he’s gorgeous, funny and intelligent, and he
shares Annalise’s love of books and travel. The trouble is, Damien’s shy and
Annalise is terrified of rejection. Can they overcome their fears and admit
their feelings, or are they doomed to remain on the shelf?

Lucy is a graduate of the University of Derby, where she
studied Creative Writing. During her first year, she was dared to write an
erotic story - so she did. It went down a storm and she's never looked back.
Lucy has had stories published by Cleis Press, Constable and Robinson, House of
Erotica, Noble Romance, Ravenous Romance, Resplendence Publishing, Summerhouse
Publishing, Sweetmeats Press and Xcite Books. She is also the editor of Uniform
Behaviour and Seducing the Myth. Find out more at Lucy's WEBSITE. Join
her on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to her
newsletter at: http://eepurl.com/gMQb9